Observations and Reflections on Language Learning

Light is an element that is naturally fascinating to children. As they explore materials and experiment with placement, children are creating ever-changing murals and learning many principals in the process.

Which items are transparent and which are opaque? What can we learn about objects by examining their silhouettes?

How does projected light change the size of our designs?

What designs can we make with sand and light? How does this material change our experience with making marks?

Light is considered a guiding teaching strategy in Reggio-inspired learning environments as explained by the following quote:

“The teachers prepare the environment to allow light into the room, to flood light from underneath and through objects on the light table, to create shadows on the floor and the wall with an overhead projector. This emphasis comes from a deep understanding of how light calls our attention to changes in color, form, and motion, to personal perspective, and to a ubiquitous and integrative source that brings disparate objects into eloquent relations” (Edwards, Gandini & Forman, Hundred Languages of Children, 3rd Edition, p. 374).